Various medical procedures require that one as or more fluids be injected into the patient. Medical imaging procedures oftentimes involve the injection of a contrast media into the patient, possibly along with saline or other fluids. Other medical procedures involve injecting one or more fluids into a patient for therapeutic purposes. Power injectors may be used for these types of applications.
A power injector generally includes what is commonly referred to as a powerhead. One or more syringes may be mounted to the powerhead in various manners (e.g., detachably; rear-loading; front-loading; side-loading). Each syringe typically includes what may be characterized as a syringe plunger, piston, or the like. Each such syringe plunger is appropriately interconnected with an appropriate syringe plunger driver that is incorporated into the powerhead, such that operation of the syringe plunger driver axially advances the associated syringe plunger. One typical syringe plunger driver is in the form of a ram that is mounted on a threaded lead or drive screw. Rotation of the drive screw in one rotational direction advances the associated ram in one axial direction, while rotation of the drive screw in the opposite rotational direction advances the associated ram in the opposite axial direction.
At least some commercially available power injectors utilize a pressure limit. A user may utilize a data entry device to enter a desired value for the pressure limit. A pressure is monitored during execution of an injection procedure. In the event that this monitored pressure reaches or exceeds an associated pressure limit, an alert may be issued to appropriate personnel. This alert may appear on a graphical user interface associated with the power injector.